Edmund l



(No Model.)

B. L. ZALINSKI.

SHELL FUSE.

June 19, 1888.

Attorney Patented WITNESSES,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND L. ZALINSKI, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

SHELL-FUSE.

$PEG'IPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,664, dated June19, 1888.

Application filed January 10,1888. Serial No. 260,314. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND L. ZALINSKI, of the United States Army,stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in ShelhFuses, of which the following is aspecification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to base-burning shellfuses, being a time orimpact fuse applied to the base of a shell or projectile of ordinaryconstruction.

The invention consists in certain details of construction,whereby a veryperfect gascheck is obtained; also, in a mechanism or combination ofmechanisms by which a time-fuse may be made to burn with a greatuniformity of combustion; also, in mechanism for protecting the timecomposition from extraneous influences, so that it may burn uniformly;also, in various details, as hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal central section of abase-burning fuse, the battery being omitted. Fig. 2is asimilar sectionofa fuse slightly modified from that shown in Fig. 1, the battery beingin place. Fig. 3' is a section showing the general relation of the fuseto the projectile. Fig. at is a face view of the fuse-flange, showingthe grooves therein; and Fig. 5 is a plan of the detachablepowderholding trough. Fig. 6 is a section of the same on line a; a",Fig. 5.

The letter A indicates the body of the shell, having charge'chambcr Band fuse G. The fuse 0 screws into the base of the shell, and thescrewthread of the fuse and cap is of reverse pitch to that of theriding of the gun, so-

that the tendency of the parts will be to screw up, and not screw out,when the projectile is tired.

The cylindrical portion of the fuse-body terminates in a firingchargechamber, E, which contains an electric primer of usualconstruction, and may have a percussion primer and a small bursting origniting charge. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.) The nipple surrounding thechamber E may have solid walls, so that there is no communication. Inthe latter case the ignitingcharge will be sufficient to rupture thewalls of the chamber. A. small electric battery, G, is contained in thefuse, the action of the battery on the primer being as usual with fusesof this class. The battery G is held by projections 1-1 from itsperiphery between a shoulder, I, and a cap, K, which forms the cover ofthe fuse. The projections H strip, so as to let the battery slidebackward when the shock of firing starts the pro jectile. The battery isthen free to move forward by the concussion of the strikin The flange Mof the fuse has an annular groove, N, extending nearly round the face ofsaid flange. This groove contains a quantity of slow-burning powder, andhas a radial passage, 0, at one end leading to the chamber in which theelectric battery or firingcharge is placed. The ring Q has aprojectingledge, It, upon its face in alignment withthe groove N, which con tainsthe time composition. The ring Q is surrounded by a thin band or ring,Z, which maybe soldered to said ring or may fit tightly enough to remainin position. This ring extends forward over the joint between the ring Qand base M of the fuse casing and makes a very perfect gas-check, thepressure of the firingcharge in the gun serving to compress this ringonto the fuse-casing to seal the joint against the entrance ofpowder-gas.

The face of ring Q has an annular flange, S, extending into a groove, Sin the fuse-casing, (or the reverse construction would be equivalent.)This flange and groove serve as an inner gas-check to prevent the gascaused by the combustion of the slow-burning compound finding its way tothe interior of the fusecase. The passage through the firing-pin offersa passage for the escape of gas from the burning compound. The frontedge of the shoulder M of the casing projects slightly for ward like aknife-edge, and on the firing of the shell will be driven into the baseof the projectile or flattened against the base thereof, serving as agas checlr or seal to protect the joint where the fuse screws into theshell. In Fig. 1 the slow-burning composition is shown inclosed in atrough, U, which is detachable. The top of this trough comes under theflange R of ring M. The metal surrounding the grooves T and T is thin,and will compress under the gas-pressure of an explosion in the gun.

The ring Q, may be turned about its axis so as to bring the tiring-pinWV in front of any part of the powder in the groove N. This pin \V has asliding movement in the direction of its axis, and when driven forwardby the gaspressure of an explosion of powder will ,con-

vey fire through its hollow center to the slowburning-powder charge. Theedge of the ring Q has an index by which it may be adjusted, so that thepowder in the groove N will be ignited at any prescribed distance fromthe radial groove 0 by turning the ring Q on its 3X18.

The inner end of pin W may bear a bit of fuhninate to ignite the powderin the groove N by pressure when the fuse is used in a gun which isdischarged by air or similar pressure. The pin W will be driven throughthe thin metal of the trough U when the same is used.

The trough U is lined with a coating of asbestus or similarnon-conducting materiahU', or where a separate trough is not used thegroove in which the composition is placed is lined, or the compositionis covered with an .asbestus, mica, or similar composition which is anon-conductor of heat and isnon-combustible. This coating prevents thetransmission of heat from the firingoharge in the gun to thecomposition, and enables thelatter to burn under practically similarconditions without regard to the temperature of themetal parts of thefuse-casing.

The operation of the device is as follows: The battery is inserted inthe fuse and retained by its flange or projections until the projectileis fired, when the flange strips and battery sets back in the casing, asis common with the plunger of a percussion-fuse. The ring Q is set upsnugly when the head of the fuse is screwed home, and the gas-ringsenter their corresponding grooves, the ring It bearing firmly on theslow-powder charge or the trough containing said charge. Under theenormous pressure of firing, the ring Q is driven forward, so that thegas-rings are more firmly seated in their grooves or around the casing,and the surrounding metal (which may come to aknifeedge) is compressedon the rings. The projection R compacts the powder composition to suchan extent that it cannot burn freely as it would under light pressure,but is compelled to burn slowly, as it would under normal conditions.The pin \V is driven into the composition and ignites it, either bymeans of a fulminate or by permitting the powder-gas to enter throughits hollow center. The composition in grooveN being thus ignited,willburn along the annular groove until the flame enters radial groove 0,when the charge in said groove, or one connected therewith, will shootthe battery forward to close circuit and fire the charge, or the chargein groove 0 may be sufficient to rupture the casing and so fire theburstingcharge in the shell. The chamber at the rear of the battery willbe a little larger in diameter than the battery itself, and will have asmall powder-chamber, p, in rear of the battery. The space may be filledby a bit of guncotton, whereby the flame from radial passage 0 will bequickly communicated to the powder in chamber 19 to shoot the batteryforward into circuit-closing position when the time composition hasburned out.

Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with an explosiveshell, of a fuseentering the base thereof, said fuse provided with a sharp-edged ringwhich finds a seat against the base of the shell and serves as agas-check, substantially as described.

2. In a shell-fuse, a casing consisting of two parts, one part slightlymovable longitudinally relatively to the other under the ,pressure ofthe firing-charge in the gun, and a ring in one section closing into agroove in the other to serve as a gas check, the combination being andoperating substantially as described.

3. In a shell-fuse, a two-part casing, one of the parts being slightlymovable in a longitudinal direction relatively to the other under thepressure of the gas in the gun, and a gascheck covering the jointbetween the sections, in combination, substantially as described.

at. In a shell-fuse, a casing having a time composition inclosedtherein, a portion of the casing covering said composition being movablerelatively to the other part, so as to com press the composition whileunder the pressure of the firing-charge in the gun.

5. The combination, in a shell-fuse, of acasing having a groove in whicha slow-burning composition is placed, and a movable section to saidcasing having a projection corresponding to said groove, whereby thepressure of the firing-charge against the movable section compresses thesame onto the composition, as set forth.

6. In a shell-fuse, the combination of the inclosing-casing, thetime-charge of slow-burning compound, and a separate inclosing-envelopefor the latter consisting of asbestus or equivalent non-combustibleandslow-conducting material, substantially as described.

7. In a shell-fuse, the combination of an electric primer, an electricbattery in position to move toward said primer, and an explosive chargein rear of said battery and in position to shoot the battery forward toclose circuit with the primer, as set forth.

8. In a shell-fuse, an electric battery, an electric primer in linetherewith, an explosive charge in rear of said battery in position toshoot the battery toward the primer, and a time-fuse for igniting saidcharge, the combination being and operating substantially as described.

9. In a shell time-fuse, the combination of acasing, and a perforatedand movable firingpin extending through said casing to the vicinity ofthetime composition, and having longitudinal movement, so as to puncturesaid composition when pressed forward by the explosion of the charge inthe gun, substantially as stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND L. ZALINSKI.

Witnesses:

PHILIP MAURO, W. A. BARTLETT.

